Ruby Rose and the Dragon's Egg
by Egyptian Samurai
Summary: Have you ever felt as if you keep on falling down as you silently struggle to get up? Have you felt like that you're alone and thought about giving up when suddenly, help came in the least expected form when you needed it the most? Well, Ruby knows how that feels... It wasn't until one night that she meets something or someone: a human-like eastern dragon by the name, Lie Ren...
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note:_** **Hi everybody, it's me again, and I hope that you've all had a fantastic start to the year 2015. Today I've come up with a new fanfics story, and this time, it's RWBY and InuYasha crossover! Pretty neat, huh? :-)**

**Blake: Um, Egypt, don't you already have enough stories going on? *resumes reading 'Ninjas in Love'***

**Me: Don't worry Blake, I'll make it work somehow. Wait are you InuYasha and Kagome's long lost daughter?**

**Blake: *glares at me angrily***

**Weiss: Right...**

**Me: Anyways, this fanfic is inspired by the children's book "The Dragon's Egg" by Alison Baird, and one of my favourite anime films of all time, "Spirited Away" by Hayao Miyazaki. I don't own RWBY, INUYASHA, THE DRAGON'S EGG, nor SPIRITED AWAY! They belong to their rightful owners, and this fanfic is just for purely entertainment purposes. Okay then, other than that, I hope you enjoy what I've got so far, and let's hop to it. :-)**

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><p><span><strong><em>Ruby Rose and the Dragon's Egg<em>**

**_Summary: H_****ave you ever had a time where you felt as though you keep on falling down and silently struggle trying to stand back up? And as you continue to suffer alone in despair, what if help comes in the form you least expect it to be, and at the most unexpected time? Well, that's how Ruby feels…**

**When Ruby Rose, the youngest girl and 'freaky outcast' in her school, wishes upon a star for nothing more than a friend, everything suddenly changes. On her birthday, she is given a very special gift: a small and smooth, metallic silvery-blue stone. But later on that very night, it actually turns out to be a dragon's egg, and guess what? It hatches, and it's not just a baby dragon that's born either… His name is Lie Ren, and he is the eldest hanyō son and heir of the powerful Doragon Daiyōkai, Lord Sesshomaru and the graceful Ningen Miko, Lady Kikyo in the Feudal Era of Ancient Japan! As things in Ruby's life start going downhill, Ren comes to her aid with all sorts of magic and enchantment, and he opens her eyes to a brand new perspective of how truly mysterious yet fascinating this world can be…**

_Introduction:_ Just an Ordinary Day in Sylvan Lake

Among the many countries in the world, there are over billions of people who lived together as one 'global village'. Aside from the fact that we humans have the same simple basic needs and wants, as well as following a list of expectations that varied in terms of different cultures, values and beliefs, everyone has a story to be told. And there is one story in particular that will be shared with the world today and it takes place somewhere in Sylvan Lake, a rural community that is found within the northwestern part of a global-north country called 'Canada'…

Sylvan Lake was a rather large town, several miles southwest of the capital city of Edmonton that's located within central Alberta, Canada. It was very well-known for its beautiful, colourful and lush scenery as well as its stable economy, diverse culture, and extra recreational activities, and many different, colourful types of trees and shrubbery were scattered throughout the community. Somewhere near the center of the town, there was a huge, ocean blue icy-cold lake that many people would always make a point to visit at least once a year or so, regardless of what time of year it would be such as the summer or winter. And everywhere you went, there were always people, whether they were residents or tourists from another community, hustling and exploring the many wonders that were hidden among the bustling shops and buildings, lined up along streets and alleys of Sylvan Lake. Upon the perimeter and within, there were tons of rows and columns of beautiful households all over the town that ranged from sizes, shapes, and colours.

Somewhere within the northeastern section of the town, and among the many families that resided in either some houses or apartment buildings that firmly stood close together, there was a young girl named Ruby Rose. And this is where her story begins…

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><p><strong><span><em>Author's Note:<em> Well, that's it for now. I hope that you've all enjoyed the start of this, and I'll be sure to have the actual first chapter up ASAP. Tell me what you think so far, and I hope that it's good enough for me to continue this. (And just for clarification, Sesshomaru is a dragon demon in this one, and Kikyo is a human. For those who are fans of InuYasha will know what I'm talking about. I'll explain more later cause I don't want to spoil more of what's yet to come...) Now remember to R'R, and NO rude comments please! Thanks so much for reading, and I'll see you all again real soon. B'Bye for now, and see y'all next time, stay awesome Bros! ;-) *hugs you all and brofist* **

**P.S: Here are the Japanese words and meanings that I've used so far... (Sorry if I got them wrong. I used the InuYasha wiki and Google Translate for a better understanding, heheheh... *sweat-drop* ****I'm not sure if they're correct, but I did my best, OK? Heheh...****)**

**Doragon Diayōkai = Great Dragon Demon**

**Ningen Miko = Human Priestess**

**Hanyō = Half-Breed (half human, half demon) **


	2. Chapter 2

**_Author's Note:_ Hi again! It's Egyptian Samurai here, and I'm back with the first official chapter of this story. As you can see, I finally got around to posting this chapter, and I'm really excited to share this one with you guys. And I'll admit it, the fan-made pairing 'Red Lotus' (Ruby Rose x Lie Ren) from RWBY has to be one of my all time favorite pairings in anime history, if not my all-time favorite one from RWBY [it's actually a first-place tie with another one of my favorites, Rose Arc (Jaune Arc x Ruby Rose)]. And as always, I DON'T OWN THE HIT ANIME SERIES "RWBY" BY MONTY OUM, "INUYASHA" BY RUMIKO TAKAHASHI, NOR THE CHILDREN'S BOOK "THE DRAGON'S EGG" BY ALISON BAIRD, NOR THE ANIME FILM "SPIRITED AWAY" BY HAYAO MIYAZAKI. THEY ALL BELONG TO THEIR ORGINAL OWNERS, AND THIS IS PURELY FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY! THE ONLY THINGS THAT I OWN FROM THIS ARE MY THREE OC'S, PHOENIX, AND HER TWIN DAUGHTERS, VIOLA AND VIOLET! Ok then, let's sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. :-)**

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><p><strong>Chapter One: When She Wished Upon a Star…<strong>

As the final days of autumn were coming to a close, the trees finally finished shedding off the last of what remained of their multi-coloured leaves, which ranged from many different shades of red, orange, yellow, brown, and purple. The once lush, deep green grass began to wilt before a heavy, icy layer of frost covered the grounds, and soon enough, the town was under a constant cover of dark storm clouds and freezing rainfall. The thick wisps of silvery clouds were now circling the sapphire-blue sky, masking the golden sunlight, while the wind became rather cool and crisp as it gently nipped at any exposed skin. Many woodland creatures took this as a cue to either migrate to the south or to gather up as much food as they could carry with them and began to scatter around the wild in search of some decent shelter before it was time for them to hibernate. And the days grew shorter as the nights lasted longer, while thick curtains of fog began to spread throughout the community of Sylvan Lake which seemed to last for twenty-four hours straight for weeks on end. But of course for Ruby Rose, this was no different…

Ruby Rose was a young girl around fourteen years of age who had jet-black hair with its tips heavily streaked a deep blood-red that barely passed her shoulders, milky skin tone, and a pair of diamond-shaped silver eyes with a hint of icy blue. She lived in a small ordinary house, where she shared it just with her father, her older stepsister, and their loyal and lovable pet dog, Zwei. She was also close to her Aunt Phoenix and Uncle Qrow, who lived in their own apartment building downtown of Edmonton with their two daughters, Viola and Violet. The Xiao Long family was of German and Hungarian descent, although Ruby's mother, Summer Rose, was the only one who was of Oriental ancestry and grew up somewhere off the warm, sunny and sandy coasts in East Asia. Ruby also heard a countless number great stories and tall tales from all over the world, specifically ones that originated from the ancient and modern times of Japan, from her father and stepsister, which have fascinated her for as long as she could remember and still capture her wild and vivid imagination today. And according to her family and those who know her, they described Ruby to be very innocent, free-spirited and child-like, and of course somewhat naïve for a girl her age.

One day, as the season of fall was slowly dying away with the warm, gentle breeze, Ruby was perched upon a swing with her hands tightly gripping the chains that held her up. She was bundled up in a light purple t-shirt, a crimson-red hoodie, navy blue jeans, and a pair of jet-black converse sneakers, and there was a set of black and red headphones that sat over her ears. She heavy sighed at herself as she gazed off into the distance with a blank look on her face while loud music blasted from the headphones, filling her ears. Her pet dog, Zwei, was a big husky covered with a thick coat of black fur and had a pair of dark brown eyes, sat patiently next to the swing set staring up at the silver-eyed girl, eager to find a way to catch her attention. Ruby slowly pumped her legs back and forth repeatedly, and felt herself soar through the air as the wind lightly tousled her short, black and red locks. After a while of doing so, she jumped off of the swing and she landed perfectly on her feet.

She glanced at the black and silver digital watch that was wrapped around her right wrist, which read '1:45pm', and then back at the swing set as she called out to her pet dog, "Come on Zwei! We should get home… Don't want to keep dad waiting for us, do we?!"

Zwei quickly trotted closely towards his mistress, and nearly knocked her off of her feet when he tried to pounce on her. She then smiled brightly at him lightly stroked the top of his furry head and grabbed a hold of the olive-green leash that was wrapped around his neck. The husky only followed quickly and quietly behind the girl without the need for her to drag him along with the leash as they began to make their way home. The music from her headphones continued to blare loudly into her ears as they casually strolled their way down the streets of their hometown. Traffic lights changed from red to green an as some of the pedestrians waited for their turn to cross the streets by watching for the 'don't walk' sign to change into 'walk', while many vehicles of many different brands and colours steered down the jet-black paved road.

Ruby kept her head up while beaming and nodded back at the other civilians who passed her who briefly greeted her with pleasant smiles on their faces. As they kept on strolling along down the streets, they noticed that the bright, golden orb of sunlight had already disappeared behind the wispy, silver clouds that roamed along the early afternoon sky, which now changed from a deep sapphire blue to a light shade of gray. The girl barely heard the rustling sounds of fallen, withered leaves lightly scratching against the surface of the pathway made of grayish pavement as well as the sound of them crunching from underneath her feet. She, however, felt a sudden blast of the cool, crisp wind gently brush against her face and entire body, which made her shiver slightly and began to speed walk as she pulled the hood of her red sweater up to keep herself warm.

After what seemed to last for a lifetime, Ruby and Zwei finally saw their home come into view, and then they decided to sprint the last few paces there until they reached the doorstep to their house. The silver-eyed girl unhooked the leash from the husky's blood-red collar that was wrapped around his neck and stroked him lightly on his head again before she pushed the front door open and stepped inside. She then shut the door behind her, locked it up tight before she kicked off her sneakers and quietly slipped into the living room. She glanced all around the room in confusion, which was full so much darkness that she could barely see a thing, as she frantically search for the light switch.

"Hey… Where is everybody? Isn't dad usually home from work by now?" she muttered to herself, still struggling to find her way in the dark living room. Then, all of a sudden… The overhead lights were suddenly switched on and many recognizable voices shouted in union, "SURPRIZE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RUBY!"

Ruby felt her eyes widen and mouth fall open in shock as she gasped and shrieked at the top of her lungs. Then without warning, she felt her heart rate increase as she jumped back in surprize and fell onto her back, nearly injuring herself in the process. And as she rose to her feet and dusted herself, Ruby saw her father standing off to one side in deep discussion with Aunt Phoenix and Uncle Qrow and their two girls about something, as her vision met the eyes of the many familiar faces within the room, cheering loudly and proudly. She also saw that the entire room was decorated with colourful balloons, streamers, and gleaming lights. It took a moment for her to process what was going on around her, and then she instantly remembered that today was the 24th of November.

'That's right… Today's my birthday, and I'm turning 15!' Ruby thought aloud.

The small, black-and-red-haired girl suddenly felt the wind knocked out her when a strong pair of arms wrapped around her small frame, trapping her in a giant bear hug, and she realized that she was being tightly embraced by no one other than her older stepsister, Yang! Ruby then felt the smile on her face spread wider across her face as she returned the hug to her sister with just as much strength.

"Happy birthday, little sister! Having a good day so far?" Yang asked.

Yang Xiao Long was a girl around sixteen or seventeen years old who was nearly half a foot taller than Ruby, and she had long, thick curly golden hair that reached her hips, pale complexion, and a pair of deep, violet-coloured eyes. She was clothed in a jet-black and dark lavender tank-top along with a long, bright orange-coloured scarf that was wrapped around her slender neck and a short-sleeved dark brown jacket, a pair light tan-coloured skinny jeans, and a pair of jet-black, leather combat boots with fingerless gloves over her hands to match. In terms of her personality, people often saw her as a bright, energetic yet straightforward and caring young woman whose heart was always searching for adventure and also full of endless enthusiasm, confidence and compassion for those around her. She's not only taken an interest in meeting and helping people from all over the globe, but she's also begun to formulate some plans to attend a local university up north in Edmonton in hopes of becoming a doctor.

One thing that Yang loves more than anything is travelling around the world to study the history of many unique cultures and learning to speak different languages, which was something that she inherited from her father and stepmother. She often spoke fondly of Japan in particular, especially since she got to go there more than once to help out those in need on some mission trips and came back home to share those stories with Ruby and the rest of their family.

Since then, her room has literally been stacked with large books and colourful photographs of the cities and country side of all the places that she travelled to: Japan; Hungary; Mexico; and a few others that she could list off the top of her head. Ruby often spent hours of her free time on rainy days imagining herself being actually being in a different part of the world, while listening to music and scanning the great details of the photographs and written entries of her sister's experiences that were posted to the pages of the scrapbooks. Yang was more than satisfied to share them with Ruby, even though she doesn't have as much time to spend hanging out with their family as she used to. This is mainly because of her balancing her busy schedule with working part time and staying on top of her studies. And she's also promised to not only bring something back from her most recent trip to Japan as a souvenir for her little sister's birthday this year, but she's also promised to take her there when the time comes.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine. Thanks Yang…" Ruby managed to reply before the two stepsisters finally pulled away from each other's' loving embrace.

The girls broke out into a chorus of giggling as they crossed the living room floor to join the rest of their guests at the front door. The silver-eyed girl couldn't contain her excitement, and she kept on beaming at everyone around her, and those smiled right back at her. Other than their dad as well as Uncle Qrow and the rest of his family, the rest of the individuals who were invited to the party were a bunch of teenagers that appeared around the same age as Yang or older. Luckily for Ruby, these teenagers were good friends with both her and Yang, and surprisingly mature for their age while she saw them as a bunch of older siblings who were also really supportive, understanding, and best of all, kind and respectful to her.

"Alright! Who's up for some bowling?!" Yang shouted as she watched Ruby slip her black converse sneakers back on her feet.

"YEAH! LET'S DO IT!" Everyone else shouted in union as they cheered loudly and threw a whole bunch of clenched up fists into the air.

They then burst out the front door while they divided and piled themselves inside among a group of vehicles that were parked in a straight line along the curb, before they buckled up and drove their way down to the local bowling alley. After about an hour and a half later or so, Ruby and the rest of her family and friends headed back to the house to finish off on the rest of the planned out festivities for the party. There was loud music playing throughout the entire day, and it continued to blare over the speakers of a large, black CD player that Yang brought with her to the bowling alley and on the way back to the house. While that was going on, Taiyang Xiao Long, Ruby and Yang's father, snatched a digital camera and took several snapshots of everything that was going on at the party. One of the next things that everyone did for the next few hours was migrate into the basement to play some rounds of video games such as Mario Kart, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Lego Rock Band, Dance Dance Revolution, and even a bit of Wii Sports Resort.

By the time the clock read '6:15pm', the birthday girl and everyone else at the party hurried upstairs and into the kitchen for supper. On the dining room table were some paper plates and cups, plastic cutlery and a pile of neatly folded up napkins as well as a few other listed items. There were four tall, wide glass pitchers of Orange Crush, Coca Cola, Sprite, and Root Beer to drink, as well as three, steaming hot large pizzas from Panago (one cheese, one pepperoni, and one Hawaiian) along with some fresh, warm bread sticks that were lightly dusted with grated parmesan cheese and garlic powder. There was also a bowl of homemade Caesar salad with dressing on the side, and a dish mixed of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries, as well as some buttery popcorn and crunchy, crisp potato chips.

Ruby snatched a paper napkin and cup full of Root Beer, and with one free hand, she piled up a paper plate with two slices of cheese pizza, three bread sticks, and a handful of potato chips and strawberries. As soon as everyone else grabbed their share of the meal, they all hustled back down into the basement in time to set up and start the live-action 2010 Disney movie, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" on the big screen, which left everybody in awe and howling with laughter throughout most of it. Then as soon as the movie was over, it was time to finally have some dessert and open presents, which absolute best part of her birthday in Ruby's opinion. For dessert, there was a large, silver platter of cookies, two dozen frosted cupcakes with flavours that varied from vanilla and chocolate and carrot to blueberry and lemon and black forest, plus a huge rectangular-shaped red velvet cake with fifteen multi-coloured candles on top and some Neapolitan-flavoured ice cream on the side.

Everyone's eyes widened and their jaws fell open in shock at the sight of all the treats that were placed upon the table, and then they all cheered loudly as Yang turned out the lights in the kitchen and dining room and lit the candles on the cake. Ruby felt herself grin from ear to ear and her face turn to a light shade of pink as she took a seat at the dining room table while everyone else gathered around the table to sing, "Happy Birthday" to her. Yang then carefully took the cake into her hands and carried it over to the table before she set it down right in front of her sister while Uncle Qrow and Aunt Phoenix used their cellphones as cameras to take pictures of the entire scene around them.

"Happy Birthday to You,

Happy Birthday to You…

Happy Birthday Dear Ruby!

Happy Birthday to You…"

"Make a wish, little sister!" Yang smiled down upon the birthday girl.

Ruby only sighed and held her hands over her heart as she squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the tears that were about to pour down the sides of her face. And at this particular moment in time, now was her time to take a chance and attempt to changing anything that her heart desires into a reality. But what could she ask for? So many possibilities, and so little time. So many thoughts swam through her mind at once. Finally, after a seconds worth of silence, she drew in a mouthful of oxygen, held it in for three seconds, and she blew out all the flames on the candles in one breath. The rest of the party guests in the dining room cheered and burst out into a major applause while Yang trapped Ruby in yet another gigantic bear hug.

After the cake was divided into neat, square-shaped slices and the ice cream was dished out to everyone, the silver-eyed girl proceeded with opening presents. The gifts that she received this year were incredibly nice, and they were the following in no particular order:

She got a book series called "Maximum Ride" from Adam Taurus and his girlfriend, Blake Belladonna, two new video games known as "Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch" and "Xenoblade Chronicles" from Neptune Vasilis, and a brand new makeup kit as well as a new snow-coloured, sparkly hoodie from Weiss Shnee and her younger sister, Winter. She also got another new trilogy book series called "Divergent" from Pyrrha Nikos, a few J-Pop music CD's from Jaune Arc, and a Totoro plushy from Nora Valkyrie. As for the rest of the gifts, Ruby received a fresh bushel of bananas from Sun Wukong (don't ask why…), the complete "Faerie Tale Theater" series from Velvet Scarletina, and many other amazing gifts from the rest of the birthday girl's great friends and family.

Yet there was one particular set of presents that stood out to her: a long-sleeved, oriental embroidered robe with matching handmade silk slippers that Yang had indeed brought back all the way from Japan! She brought back something else too: a small and smooth, metallic silvery-blue stone that had a slight scaly feel to the touch as it gleamed brightly in the dim light.

"A small piece of Japan for you to keep. When I went up there for my most recent mission trip, I found this in the watery banks of the Sumida River, and the minute I touched it, I knew there was something very mysterious about it." Yang whispered in a low voice only loud enough for her sister to hear.

"Really?" Ruby glanced down at the stone that sat in the palm of her hand. As she held it up close to her face to study its fine detail, she met Yang's gaze again as she asked, "Wouldn't it be cool if this was a dragon's egg or something?"

The tall, golden-haired girl only shrugged as she beamed in reply. "I don't know, but I bet ya that if it was, the dragon itself would love you to bits…"

Ruby only beamed and blushed inwardly at the idea of having a dragon as a pet, or even better, a friend. IF only that were possible...

Later on that very night, after everyone wished her 'Happy Birthday' and bid their goodnights for one last time before they went home, Ruby helped clean up the kitchen and put the leftover food away. She then gathered up all of her presents into her arms and took them upstairs to her room before she disposed the scraps of wrapping paper and ribbon that couldn't be salvaged with the rest. By the time she was finished with what was needed to be done, she took a quick shower, and changed from her clothes into a clean pair of pajamas before she cleaned her teeth and combed her damp, shoulder-length hair. She then bid goodnight to her father and stepsister as she crawled underneath the covers of her bed while Zwei curled up right next to her, quickly falling into a deep slumber. The girl smiled down upon the sleeping canine, stroking the back of his ears and the top of his furry head as she took a moment to stare out into the dark, autumn world outside her window. She felt her breath caught in her throat as her vision came across the inky shadows the neighbouring houses casted upon the ground, the howling wind rushing through the tops of the bare trees, shaking their branches like crazy, and the navy blue storm clouds circling the black night sky. The shimmering stars appeared and began to sparkle like newly polished gemstones, as the silvery crescent moon slowly rose above the endless horizon. The sight of the outside world made Ruby sigh with content as she then suddenly spotted something up in the sky in a very long time…

"The evening star!" A bright smile spread across her face as the star itself seemed to glow like a fiery white crystal off in the distance. Ruby swiftly and silently glanced at all of her surroundings as if to make sure that no one was watching or listening to her right before she faced the window again. Once again, she squeezed her eyes shut and folded her hands over her heart as she drew in a deep breath and whispered, "Star light, star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might have this wish I wish tonight..."

"Evening star, if you can hear me… I know this might sound like I'm selfish but… Lately, nobody seems to have time for me anymore. Ever since my mom died, I feel as though that I almost never get to hang out with Yang or my friends as much as I would like, mainly because they're all two years older than me and graduating from school this year. Plus my dad is away a lot of the time because of his job and same with the rest of my family, and I've felt alone for the past few years trapped in middle school, even though I know for a fact that I'm not."

She paused for a moment and glanced at her surroundings again before she continued as she felt the smile on her face disappear, "What I wish for more than anything is just a friend. Someone who understands me and one that I can trust and talk to anytime, to joke and hang around with, and most importantly… Someone who I can love with all my heart and soul. I know that it doesn't sound much to you, but that's all that I want to ask for. Thank you…" She then sighed once more before she leaned back and pulled the blankets up to her shoulders before she turned out the light and drifted off to sleep.

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><p><strong><span><em>Author's Note:<em> Wow! Well that's all for today. I know that this one was really long, but oh well, right? Doing this was like traveling back into the good old days of my childhood. Can you believe how fast time flies? It seems almost yesterday that I read "The Dragon's Egg", and now here I am writing a fanfic inspired by it. I can't promise you on how soon that I'll have the next chapter done, since Semester Two at my school will be starting up pretty quick in the next couple of weeks. And so yeah. I apologize if some people were OOC, but I'll be sure to keep my eye out for whenever I get around to improving these chapters. And one more thing, remember to R'R, and NO rude comments please. And aside from that, I'll see you all next time and have a great night! B'Bye for now BROS! :-) *brofists and group-hug***


	3. Chapter 3

**_Author's Note:_ Hey everybody, how's it going? It's Egyptian Samurai again, and welcome back to more of "Ruby Rose and the Dragon's Egg" story. As I mentioned in the last update, we finally got into the actual storyline, and now there's more! Isn't that exciting or what?! I'm glad that you guys love this story, and your support for it means a lot to me. It really does help motivate me. :-) And of course, I don't own "RWBY", "INUYASHA", "SPIRITED AWAY", nor "THE DRAGON'S EGG". These are being used for inspiration and entertainment purposes only, and they all belong to their rightful owners, and same with some other stuff that I might have missed! And so yeah, Semester Two has just started, and I'm going to be busy a lot of the time, so I might have as much time to write and post more, but I'll do my best, okay... Enjoy reading! =D**

**Oh, and one more thing before I forget. I just found out that Monty Oum isn't doing so well, he's currently in the hospital getting the best medical treatment possible. It makes me sad to say this, and our hearts and prayers will go out to Monty, and his friends and family. I hope you recover soon, Monty. Stay strong... ;'-(**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: Questionable Circumstances and a New Friend?<strong>

A few hours later that very night, Ruby gasped and jolted upright in bed as she was suddenly awoken by the sounds of rumbling thunder. She rested a hand over her beating heart in attempt to calm herself down while her breathing slowed down rapidly. Zwei whimpered and whined as he crawled onto the girl's lap and stared right up at her with round onyx-coloured eyes filled with fear. Ruby felt herself shiver slightly as she glanced at her digital watch that sat on top of the nightstand that stood next to the bed, which read quarter to midnight. Another roll of thunder made both the girl and her dog jump again as they gazed outside the window only to see numerous bolts of bluish-white lightning flash across the black sky, but surprisingly no rain or sleet or snow.

"It's okay Zwei. It's only just the storm, and it should pass on soon…" Ruby whispered reassuringly in the dog's ear, though she didn't feel very much comfort herself. But then, another loud sound startled them. A cracking, splintering noise filled the room, like something fragile fell to the ground and smashed into a million fragments. She switched the lights on and stared at her surroundings, and strangely enough, nothing in her room seemed to be out of place, and the storm suddenly slowly died down. But what was it that could have made that noise?

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the precious stone Yang gave her had fell from her dresser to the floor and broke into about a dozen pieces. Ruby gasped as she slipped out of bed and fell to her knees, gathering up the shattered metallic silvery-blue bits into her shaking hands. No! This couldn't be happening… The stone her stepsister brought all the way back from Japan for her birthday is now broken! And there was no way that she could possibly fix it now! What will Yang say if and when she finds out about this?! Ruby shook her head as she examined the broken pieces up close, and noticed that the inside of the stone was hollow. And somehow, the fragments of the stone were coated in some kind of wet, sticky clear fluid. At that very moment, she suddenly heard something scurry across the carpeted floor, as if something small and alive was trying to escape from this place.

Desperate to find out what happened to her stone, Ruby rose to her feet and began to investigate. When she set the broken pieces of the stone aside for the time being, the first thing she did was scan all the walls of her room, which were painted different shades of purple, and so far, nothing was out of place. Next she crawled over to her over-stuffed leather armchair and checked underneath it before she glanced underneath the writing desk that held her dark gray laptop, a tall stack of paper, and a handful of writing utensils. She then tiptoed over to a small wooden bookshelf that was painted white and was stacked with loads of her favorite books, but found nothing. She searched frantically all over and under the dresser and the side table that held an ivory lamp, a box of Kleenex, and a black glow in the dark digital alarm clock, which now read 11:55pm. After another few minutes of searching, she felt herself sink to the floor in defeat, but something in the back of her mind told her to keep searching until she found what she was looking for.

Then she remembered one place that she didn't look, her bed! The bed itself was covered with a midnight blue bedspread and thick, deep purple blankets as well as three large icy blue pillows, and it was all in disarray due to her constant shifting and changing her position in her deep slumber. She then shuffled her weight across the room and dropped on all fours as she noticed something huddled up near the upper-right hand bed post. She squinted to try and see in the dim light better, but she had difficulty to figure out what it was that was hiding underneath her bed. The silver-eyed girl gasped as her vision adjusted to the darkness, and she saw that it was a small animal of some kind. The little creature appeared to have long, shimmery scales that varied from different shades of lime green, deep turquoise, and aquamarine blue, and it had scarlet-coloured triangular spikes that ran from the back of its head, and all the way down its back nearly reaching the tip of its tail. Its underbelly was a pale shade of yellow while it also had a deep olive-green fringe around its neck like a lion's mane, and there were two tiny jet-black knobs on its head that looked like buds of horns.

"Is that… a dragon?!" Ruby cried out in surprize. "I DON'T BELIEVE IT!"

The little baby dragon suddenly ducked out of the girl's sight and slithered to a small new hiding place underneath the dresser that stood a few inches away from the bed. Upon realising that she frightened the poor creature, Ruby slowly made her way around her bed and snatched a flashlight from the inside the top drawer of the dresser. She then flipped the flashlight on and shined it onto the floor as she peeked underneath the dresser and saw the baby dragon curled up in a little ball with its back to her, shaking in fear.

"Hey you…" Ruby called out to the dragon in a soft, gentle voice. "It's okay little guy, I'm sorry for scaring you like that. Don't be afraid, please come on out here, I promise I won't hurt you…"

The dragon then turned to face her with wide, cat-like magenta-coloured eyes that glowed brightly in the dark while they were filled with confusion and sudden curiosity. For a moment it just sat there underneath the cramped space of the dresser, staring right back at her silently debating whether or not it was right to trust her. Then, finally deciding that she meant what she said, the dragon slowly slithered out from underneath its hiding place and stared right up at Ruby. When she saw that it was about the size of a tennis ball, the girl then smiled reassuringly down at the dragon as she bent down and held out an open hand to it. The reptilian creature approached the girl's hand and extended its neck and gently sniffed the tips of her fingers, breathing in the rose-scented odour that jumped off her skin. And right before she even knew it, the dragon had already climbed into the palm of her hand and seemed to gaze right back at her with a small smile upon its scaly face.

As she swiftly got back onto her feet, Ruby brought the dragon up to her eye level, smiled brightly at him, and gently planted a quick kiss on top of his head. The creature's face seemed to turn from an evergreen colour to a deep shade of beet-red as he shyly averted his gaze away from the girl's silvery-blue eyes. Ruby only giggled sweetly in response to his reaction to her simple and kind gesture. Then, she suddenly realized how late it was, and that she needed to get back into bed soon, but there was just one problem… What was she going to do about the little dragon now?

Her first impulse was to go and wake up Yang, but she decided against the idea. Her sister had been exhausted from all the hours that were spent at school and work for the past week, and besides, she and their father deserved their goodnight sleep. Plus, tomorrow was Sunday and she didn't have to worry about getting up early and going to school in the morning. But where could she hide the little creature for the night? Maybe stuff him into a small, cozy spot inside of her closet? Nope, he would be easily spotted if someone were to look in there. Perhaps make him a tiny bed of socks in her dresser? Nah, that wouldn't work either. OR possibly let him wade and swim around in a clean bucket full of icy, cold water on the bathroom floor just down and across the hallway? Oh, no way! What if Yang spots him when she's about to have her usual five to seven minute shower in the morning? Then how will Ruby be able to explain the whole dilemma to her sister, or more importantly, her dad if they find out about the dragon? But wait a second…

Ruby paused for moment to collect her thoughts together and sort them out one by one before she began to plan out a moderate strategy to take care of the little reptilian creature. All he really needs is some fresh food to eat, clean water to drink and swim around in, and a small comfy space to sleep in, right? She didn't know, but she was bound to find out more about those details sooner or later, wasn't she? Ruby only sighed in frustration when she suddenly realized that there was one place available that the dragon could stay in for a while.

"I got it! I'll put you into the family fish tank that's just downstairs for the night. Eastern dragons like water, don't they? I know that you won't eat the other fish that live there, and I'm sure that they'll be happy to share their home with you… What do you say?" Ruby whispered in a low voice.

The little dragon's face instantly lit up with a bright smile and only nodded at her offer in response.

"Great! Let's go put you down there before Yang or my dad wakes up. I need to get a drink of water anyways…"

Ruby then slipped out of her bedroom and quietly crept down stairs while the dragon that sat on the palm of her hand stared in awe at his strange, new surroundings. The feeling of having four walls around him and a roof over his head left the dragon in an overwhelming daze, but then he was brought back to reality when the girl lightly stroked his back with her finger as he turned to face her again. When his magenta-coloured cat-eyes met her silvery-blue ones, she brought him up close to her face again as he reached up and lightly nipped the tip of her nose with his a tiny, scaly paw in affection. Ruby beamed and forced herself to suppress a giggle from escaping as the dragon playfully pawed at her nose again. Then she couldn't stop herself from blushing and as she gently tapped his nose in return. "Boop."

When she grabbed herself a small glass of ice water to drink, she set it down onto one of the kitchen counters before she placed the little dragon inside the fish tank in the living room. The fish tank was long, wide rectangular-shaped container that stood on top of a massive, marble and wooden side-table. It contained a heavy, thick layer of multi-coloured pebbles and gravel at the bottom and a whole bunch of deep green aquatic plants and grass. There was also a handful of colourful decorations that were spread out from each other upon the floor of the water tank, and some of which were a medieval village, a shipwreck in ruins, and an ancient oriental palace. And of course there were seven goldfish, which were named Haru, Natsu, Aki, Fuyu, Yami, Hikari, and Arashi, and they were extremely beautiful with their long, delicate and scales that gleamed brightly in the moonlight like gold coins. The dragon seemed to enjoy being in his new home, because Ruby watched him dive beneath the surface and swim around in the clean water several times before he settled down on the bottom, looking completely content. The school of goldfish didn't seem to mind sharing their habitat with him either. Before she went back upstairs for bed, Ruby remembered to feed the goldfish some flake food when she saw something that made her heart stop: The little dragon suddenly transformed himself into a bright orange goldfish with black stripes along his body!

"Whoa! How did he do that?" she whispered to herself. "That's so awesome!"

Then, she snatched the glass of icy water from the kitchen counter and hurried back to the fish tank to find all the seven goldfish fast asleep. She smiled and then called out in a quiet voice, "Good night guys!" And the orange and black goldfish, which was the little green dragon in disguise, was still at the bottom of the fish tank and he's fallen asleep too. "Good night little dragon! I'll see you in the morning…"

And with that, Ruby tiptoed back upstairs and into her room again. She set the glass of ice water down onto the nightstand that stood off a little to the side of her bed. The lamp on her nightstand was left on while she was downstairs with the dragon time on the black digital alarm clock now read '12:10am'. Zwei woke up and raised his head up from his paws to stare up at Ruby with a puzzled look on his face, as if to ask why she was awake in the middle of the night. The silver-eyed girl only scratched the top of the canine's head in response as she crawled underneath the covers of her bed and shut out the light for one last time.

For what seemed like hours on end, Ruby had so much difficulty falling back asleep. Her mind wandered back and forth between the facts that she was now fifteen years old and the baby dragon that was resting in the fish tank with the other goldfish. She tossed and turned in bed with excitement and kept on mentally debating on whether or not she should get up and go check on the dragon, but then decided that it was best not to disturb him. After all, he needed his rest, and so did she, and besides, he'll still be there in the morning. Soon enough, she felt so tired that she couldn't stay awake any longer, and she let the need for a well-deserved sleep take over her mind for the rest of the night.

The next morning, Ruby woke up feeling more happy and excited than ever before. At first, she didn't understand why, and she pondered upon the thought for several minutes before she came to a conclusion.

"My birthday was yesterday, but what else happened?" She paused for a moment before she remembered what happened last night. "That's right! The stone fell, but it was a dragon's egg, and that means…"

Ruby glanced up at her nightstand to find the broken shards of the electric silvery-blue egg sitting right next to her alarm clock which read '8:45am'.

"The dragon's still there!" she realized instantly.

"Hey Ruby! Get down here! You've got to come check this out!"

The sound of Yang's voice from downstairs made her jump at least five inches out of bed, and it was also her words that made her freeze in midair before she landed face-first into the carpeted floor. Then, scrambling to her feet as quickly as she could, Ruby dashed through the empty hallway and down the winding staircase while so many thoughts raced through her tired mind all at once. She felt herself break out into an unexpected cold sweat at the thought of her sister finding out her secret about the baby dragon, while a tidal wave of adrenaline crashed through her veins and entire body at top speed. But thinking back on the minute Yang called out to her, Ruby didn't remember hearing even a spec of anger nor annoyance in the tone of her voice. If anything, she actually sounded extremely satisfied, or better yet, jubilant. And if that was the case, then what did the black and red haired girl have to worry about after all? That she didn't know…

As she cleared her mind and took in a deep breath, Ruby finally reached the living room only to find her sister still in her pajamas, while staring at the fish tank with violet eyes that were as round and wide like dinner plates. Yang barely glanced over her shoulder to find her little sister standing there in middle of the entrance to the living room with an apprehensive look on her face. Feeling a bit unsure of her current behaviour, the golden-haired girl gestured with her head for the other girl to come closer. Ruby only nodded and gave a warm, friendly smile as she slowly inched closer towards the fish tank with ease when Yang chirped excitedly, "Look! There's a new fish in there! See? He's right there near by the palace… Do you see him? He looks like a Siberian Tiger, doesn't he?"

Ruby suddenly felt a rush of relief wash over her as she saw the bright orange and jet-black striped goldfish with magenta-coloured cat-eyes swimming in circles around the oriental decoration that sat underwater near the left-hand side of the fish tank.

"Oh yeah, there he is! I see him now!" Ruby replied in a rather chipper manner.

Unknown to the rest of her family, Ruby was glad to see that the black and orange goldfish, which happened to be the little green dragon in disguise, was doing okay and that he was enjoying his new initial home. The other seven goldfish came out from behind the hand-painted model clay medieval village and gazed at the Siberian Tiger goldfish, looking pleased with their new friend. Soon enough, they were all gliding through the crystal clear water within the fish tank going in different directions and turning corners here and there as if they were showing the baby dragon his way around. Both the girls trailed their eyes after the school of goldfish and then broke down giggling as they watched them hide behind the decorations and chase each other around as though they were playing a game of 'Hide and Seek Tag' underwater. They did this for the next few minutes or so until they heard their father's voice from outside the living room.

"What's going on here, girls?" he asked.

"Well, there's a new fish in the tank, dad. I don't remember ever seeing him before." Yang replied.

"Really now? Let me have a look there…" It took a moment for him to spot the Siberian Tiger goldfish, and when he did, his eyes widened and jaw fell open in shock. "Well bless my soul! Now that is one funky looking fish right there. When did you girls find him?"

"This morning…" Ruby's gaze never left the school of fish as she trailed off for a moment. "It's not every day that there is a new pet in the house."

"Well we'll just have to give him a name and make him feel welcome here, now won't we?" Their father smiled down at his two beautiful daughters. "Well, no time for dilly-dally this morning; we've got a lot of things to do today. Especially after a great time last night and tomorrow's a school day for the both of you. Ruby, why don't you feed the fish before you help Yang set the table while I make ourselves some breakfast, hmm?"

"Sounds good to us." The girls only nodded as Yang followed Taiyang out of the living room and into the kitchen, leaving Ruby alone at the fish tank to give the goldfish their food. As soon as her father and stepsister were out of sight, the small, black-and-red-haired girl noticed something odd that confirmed that the events prior to last night really did happen. She saw a soft, glowing light swirling around the Siberian Tiger goldfish as he transform himself back into his little, green dragon shape. And of course the features on him that didn't change were his cat-like, magenta-coloured eyes.

"So it really wasn't a dream after all…" she muttered quietly to herself.

The little dragon stared back at her with a wondrous look in his eyes as he watched her scoop out a heaping handful of flaky fish food from inside of a palm-sized, circular container and lightly sprinkle it overtop the gleaming, clear blue water of the fish tank. His gaze never left hers as the other goldfish swam up towards the watery surface to feast on their served meal. The reptilian creature however, held back as if he was afraid of cutting past the other fish and taking more than his fair share of the food. Ruby noticed this and took pity upon the little dragon as she spoke up with a rueful smile,

"Hey, I'm really sorry about all of this… I know how difficult life is at times, which make it seem so unfair and pointless to people like you and me. And believe me, I do… Well I can tell you something: You're not alone little guy and I completely understand on how intimidating this must be for you. I'm sure that you'll be home with your family again soon, and until then, I'll take good care of you."

The little scaly creature poked his head out of the surface and floated with his eyes and muzzle just above the water like a tiny alligator. His tiny limbs were moving around in circular motions while his tail swung from side to side to keep himself from sinking to the bottom of the fish tank. His magenta orbs met her silvery-blue ones and she felt a wave of astonishment flood through her, as he stared at her with a look of overjoy and gratitude. One of the goldfish suddenly pulled him out of his daze by swimming in circles around him and gestured its head toward the rest of the other goldfish and their food. Then, in an instant, the other six goldfish joined in on swimming around in circles around the dragon in a friendly manner, as though they were trying to make him feel welcome in their humble home, before they resumed on consuming their breakfast.

After a few seconds of hesitation, the dragon finally made up his mind and zoomed near the surface to join the goldfish for breakfast. When he managed to slurp down a few flakes of food through his mouth and down his throat, he shuddered ever so slightly and made a scrunched up face that heavily implied that he was displeased with what he was served to eat. Ruby mentally giggled at this, but she couldn't stop a small, toothy grin from spreading across her face. The dragon only tilted his head slightly to the side and narrowed his eyes at her in disapproval, but that only made Ruby chuckle to herself.

"Don't worry, I'll find something good for you to eat…" Ruby whispered sincerely before she thought to herself, 'Though I don't even know what dragons eat of course…'

"Come on Ruby, breakfast is ready! Hurry up before it gets cold." She heard her father's voice call out from inside the kitchen.

"Coming!" That one word was Ruby's only reply before she turned to the dragon and whispered in a low voice, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

The dragon nodded at her in response as he watched the young, silver-eyed girl dash out of the living room, and into the kitchen to wash up and help out with last-minute preparations for breakfast. Then at long last, everything was ready…

A delicious, mouth-watering smell of home-cooked food filled everyone's nostrils and the air around the kitchen as it passed throughout the house while the food, drinks, and other eating utensils were placed upon the long, rectangular-shaped wooden table that was covered with a dark green, satin cloth. Ruby and Yang and their father made their way into the dining room, they sat at the table and bowed their heads and gave thanks before digging into their homemade, gourmet meal. The dinner table itself was loaded with dishes of steaming scrambled eggs and bacon, warm slices of cheese toast with jam, a humongous stack of chocolate-chip pancakes, and some fried sausages and crispy, diced potatoes. There were also two cartons, one filled with mixed-berry juice while the other contained milk, a bowl of washed, sliced fruit, and some condiments such as sweet, sticky maple syrup, finely-grained salt and pepper, and a pound of thick, creamy butter.

As soon as they were finished eating, the three of them gathered up the dirty dishes and the remaining food from off the table and began to clean around the dining room and kitchen. In a matter of minutes, they were done tidying up and everyone was off doing their own thing. Taiyang retreated into his study to organize some lesson plans for the next few days at the university, while Yang went downstairs to do whatever she felt like doing, leaving Ruby alone in the dining room. She then took a small glass of mixed-berry juice and a few bits and pieces of every portion of food that was served for breakfast, and placed them upon a plate before she quietly entered the living room to feed the little dragon. When she came near the fish tank, she found him floating at the surface of the water, staring at her as he eagerly waited to eat. Ruby glanced down at the plate that held many bite-sized samples of food, she picked up a bit of one chocolate-chip pancake and held it over the fish tank when the dragon snapped it out of her fingers with his teeth before he chewed it up and swallowed. He did the same thing again and again when she held out mouthfuls of sausage, fried potatoes, cheese toast, scrambled eggs and bacon, and he also slurped the juice from the glass in one, big gulp. And before she knew it, the plate and glass were left completely empty, and the little dragon seemed to be content.

"Wow! You must've been starving, huh little guy?" Ruby smiled at the fact that she was able to feed her new friend something that he was able to enjoy. Then she asked, "Did you like the food I gave you?"

The scaly, reptilian creature nodded happily in reply as he beamed brightly at her.

"Good, I'm really glad to hear that you got enough to eat and enjoyed it…" She paused for a moment before she continued. "I'll be upstairs if you need anything, okay? I'll see you around."

But just as she turned on her heel, Ruby felt herself freeze in place when she heard a small, quiet voice of a little boy call out one word to her.

"Arigatō."

Did the little dragon just speak to her? Did it really just say "Thank You" to her in Japanese? He's already learning to talk? How was that even possible? But nonetheless, she let a small, kind smile cross her lips as she let her eyes meet the dragons as she replied, barely above a whisper.

"Dōitashimashite, sukoshi doragon."

The dragon gave her a pleased expression on his face as he nodded again, while he watched her happily wave her hand at him before she disappeared out of the living room and into the hallway once more. While she climbed back upstairs and into her room to get dressed for the day, she sighed to herself sadly. Several unhappy thoughts of events that occurred within the last few years raced through her mind at once while she slipped out of her pyjamas and into some clean undergarments before she went to her closet to pick out an outfit. Her tiny, delicate fingers ran along the edge of the closet door while she reached in, grabbed a bundle of clothes, which consisted of a pair of deep gray jeans, a dark pink tank-top and an oversized long-sleeved black and blue sweatshirt and threw them on. She then slipped on a matching pair of plain white socks over her feet when she faced the square-shaped mirror that was hung above her dresser.

Ruby slowly approached the dresser with caution and stared into the mirror with an apprehensive look on her face as if she were afraid that it would shatter if she did this for too long, while her reflection shared the same expression and followed the same actions as she did. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a deep purple mark in the shape of a huge hand, blossoming across her left upper arm and all the way down to her elbow when she pulled the sleeve of the sweatshirt all the way up to her shoulder. She lightly ran her fingers over it, only to wince when she felt it sting harshly at her own touch. She didn't remember seeing the bruise on her arm today, nor yesterday or even the day before. All she remembered how it got there, which made her merely frowned and shook her head at herself, and the girl in the mirror did the same before they sighed bitterly to themselves.

As she pushed the sleeve back down and reached into one of the drawers of the dresser for a toothcomb and began to lightly comb the tangles in her short, messy black-and-red hair. And when she was done, she slumped across her room and flopped onto her bed in despair. After a while being this way, she glanced up to see three plushies that were sitting quietly on her bed, which were Olaf, Pikachu, and Totoro, she snatched them into her arms and tightly held them close to herself. Her gaze then trailed all around the room before she found herself staring out the window for no particular reason while the late-morning sunlight peered through the partially-opened curtains.

'Great… Tomorrow, all hell's going to break loose again… I don't want to go back to school tomorrow, I really don't…' The girl thought aloud to herself, nearly falling off her bed as she buried her face into one of the three icy-blue pillows, trying to keep all the negative emotions that were building up inside of her from escaping, but it was no use. Zwei, who was fast asleep at the foot of her bed this whole time, tried to get her attention by nuzzling her arm with his nose, but she didn't even budge. Soon enough, she felt hot, steamy tears spill from her eyes and drip onto her clothes and bed sheets. But when the thought of the little baby dragon who's in her current care flew into her mind, Ruby felt a tiny smile tug at her lips at the thought of having an eastern dragon for a friend, especially one that can talk too.

'I guess things are slowly starting to get better… At least I have one friend to keep me company when no one else is around for me, don't I? And I'll admit, even though I've only known him for one full day, I'm already starting to like him… Something tells me that being able to take care him will pay off big time.'

As she continued to stare off into space, she let Zwei crawl onto her lap while her silvery-blue eyes were fixated upon the world outside her window, which was now left open. A cool, gentle breeze passed through the window and into the girl's bedroom, making the curtains slowly sway back and forth and side to side, while it lightly brushed across her forehead and through her shoulder-length, black-and-red hair. At this time during the day, the sun was already at its highest peak in the sapphire, cloudless sky, with it's bright, golden rays of light making the dark shadows of many houses outside her home and objects in her room disappear in an instant. She barely even noticed that her own shadow was nearly erased by the sunlight, but she didn't seem to care at the moment.

With one last sigh of relief, Ruby gazed out into the distant horizon with a joyful look on her face, now filled with hope that over time, she would soon be able to understand how that even the deepest of one's wounds in their life can heal by taking things one day at a time. Sure it wouldn't be the easiest thing to do in the world, and that it does take some patience, self-reassurance, and even a bit of courage here and there, but in the end, it was to be worth it all, right? And little did she realize that it was just a matter of time before everything she knew was about to change… Or was it?

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Whew! That was another long one, but we finally got to see the little baby dragon! YAY! XD And soon enough, hopefully, his name will be revealed in the next chapter, but I have a feeling that you guys already know what it is. Heheheh... Anyways<strong>**, as always, remember to R'R, and NO rude comments please! Thanks so much for stopping by to read this, I hope that you all enjoyed it, and I'll see you next time. Bye! ;-)**

**Here are the Japanese words that I used and their meaning (please forgive me if I missed any or if I got them wrong. :P):**

**Arigatō = Thank you**

**Dōitashimashite, sukoshi doragon= You're welcome, little dragon**

**A Shout-Out to Monty: We really miss you, and we hope that you recover soon! Hang in there, okay? :'-(**


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